US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, which developed the obesity treatment “Mounjaro,” announced that its next-generation obesity treatment candidate “retatrutide” demonstrated approximately 28% weight loss in a Phase 3 clinical trial. This is a level of weight reduction comparable to that seen after bariatric metabolic surgery.

On the 21st (local time), Eli Lilly released the Phase 3 clinical results for retatrutide. The trial was conducted in three dosage groups of 4 mg, 9 mg, and 12 mg. After 80 weeks of treatment, the average weight loss in the 12 mg group was confirmed to be 28.3%.

In the case of Mounjaro, Phase 3 trials showed a weight loss effect of around 20%. Before the launch of Mounjaro, reducing 20% of body weight was considered such a major challenge for pharmaceutical companies that it was referred to as the “20% barrier.” The new drug candidate has produced results that significantly exceed this benchmark.

The company stated that 45.3% of subjects in the 12 mg group experienced about a 30% reduction in body weight. This is a level of efficacy similar to bariatric metabolic surgery, a surgical method that reduces the surface area of the stomach to limit food intake. The 9 mg and 4 mg groups also recorded weight loss of 25.9% and 19.0%, respectively, over the same period.

As rapid weight loss occurred, some patients reported adverse events. About 11% of those in the 12 mg group discontinued treatment during the trial due to side effects. The main adverse events were nausea, diarrhea, and constipation, which are commonly observed with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) obesity treatments.

This drug is a triple agonist that simultaneously stimulates the receptors of three hormones involved in appetite and satiety regulation: GLP-1, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), and glucagon. Mounjaro, by contrast, is a dual agonist that targets the receptors of two hormones, GLP-1 and GIP.

Eli Lilly recently launched the oral obesity drug “Pound A Day,” intensifying competition in the obesity treatment market with Novo Nordisk, which developed “Wegovy Pill,” an oral form of Wegovy. Retatrutide is being developed as a once-weekly subcutaneous injection formulation.

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